Chapter 11 - The Seneschal

Hey guys, chapter 11 is up. I had trouble with this chapter and that is why it is a bit late. So yeah, nothing much to say here.

Grand Seism has been upgraded a lot, its OPness been turned up a notch.

Grand Seism according to FoZ standards

Seism = Void-Void-Earth-Earth

High Seism = Void-Void-Void-Earth-Earth

Grand Seism = Void-Void-Void-Earth-Earth-Earth

Before you complain, yes I know that a Hexagon-class Magic does not really exist in FoZ. However, Mikhail is the Seneschal, which pretty much makes him a God. That is why it's possible. Also, since dark and holy magic does not exist in FoZ, it is considered Void magic. For now, he doesn't have all of his Seneschal powers available; he only has his Arisen spells (although they are exponentially stronger than usual due to his long life), some spells that he created, and command over Nature.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon's Dogma or Familiar of Zero.

Albion – Newcastle

"And so the die is cast. So be it," Mikhail said. Wales looked at the white-haired man in confusion before coughing up more blood.

"I guess this is the end for me. I… Henri…etta," Wales muttered before he finally succumbed to his injuries. Mikhail took a step forward with a red stone in his hand. The stone was in the shape of a human heart and pulsed with an eerie red glow.

As Mikhail approached the slain man, the room began to smell of death. Although the sun was just beginning to break the horizon, the room seemed to darken as a cold chill rolled in. The sounds of bells tolling in the distance filled the church as everything else grew silent. The bells grew louder until they seemed to be from the church's own bells at the top of the tower. And then they stopped. Suddenly, moans of agony and shrieks of terror erupted, eventually descending into a whisper which reverberated throughout the building. The space behind the Pawn began to swirl and grow increasingly dark until there was a flowing abyss five times bigger than the man. The darkness began to morph into a vaguely human shape. A large scythe was pulled out from the center along with a bright lantern. Mikhail knew who this was. It was Death, the Jet Black Stalker.

Death's form looked at the dead prince, then the still-standing man, and then to the burnt body. It floated over to the burned body before raising his scythe and bringing it down to reap the soul the was still clinging to the body. It then floated towards the Prince. It stopped when the Pawn stepped in front of it. It immediately swung its scythe through the man obstructing its path. The giant scythe flew through the man to no effect. It then spoke for the first time in a long while.

"You… the throne lies empty… your fate… tied to it… still… true Seneschal," Death muttered.

Mikhail had not been expecting that. Yes, he still called himself Seneschal, but only out of habit. To know that he is not yet free from his position was disheartening. He tested to see if the powers as Seneschal was still within his grasp for they had grown to be second nature after his extended time wielding them. Another disappointment. The Godsbane blade must have suppressed most of the powers instead of killing him. The Seneschal speculated that with time, his powers should return to full strength. The authority that the position gave him still allowed him command over many things by default though.

"Upon my title as the Seneschal, I proclaim thy duty finished here for this man shall not meet his end here," Mikhail spoke. He then rested the Wakestone in his hand on Wales's body. The stone glowed brightly for a moment and then it dimmed and started to disintegrate. The Reaper looked at the disappearing stone and then vanished in a swirl of darkness. Mikhail let out a sigh of disappointment and then turned to the Prince. The body stirred and then stood.

"What the? I thought I died?" Wales sounded confused. Mikhail looked at the man and then spoke.

"You have been given a second lease on life. Do not waste it. Now then, why had my Master been under a sleep spell?"

Taken by surprise with Mikhail's abruptness, Wales quickly answered the question, "Well, when you told me to be wary of Wardes, I had some of my men do some snooping. When they did not return, I knew something was wrong. Since Louise seemed to trust him wholeheartedly, I put her to sleep before trying to trap Wardes here in the church. I suspected that he was working for Reconquista and may have been sent here to open the gates tomorrow. I had some of my men surround the premises, although it seems like they are dead. Since you had tasked me with Louise's safety, I decided that she would be safer here within my sights and it seems like I was correct." Wales put on a grim smile and then turned to the undamaged altar. He prayed for his men.

Louise woke up shortly after and was shocked to see the mayhem. Mikhail quickly got her up to speed with what had transpired although she refused to believe that Wardes was a traitor. With Wales support, Louise begrudgingly accepted the claim; further evidence against Wardes arose when his belongings were searched. He had a letter stating his rank in the Reconquista army as well as a white mask, probably used for concealing his appearance when confronting people.

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The Royalists in Newcastle woke to a surprisingly peaceful morning. They had expected to be woken by cannon fire, not by songbirds. Nonetheless, they all went to their battle stations expecting a fight. What they did not expect was their white-haired guest to walk out the front gates and ride a horse towards the enemy camps.

Around an hour later, all of them felt the very island shake. They were puzzled, the floating island had never experienced an earthquake ever before. The strange phenomena put them even more on edge until the guest returned. Prince Wales happily greeted the man and thanked him continuously. When one soldier asked him what had brought this about, Wales answered him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have won this battle thanks to the efforts of this man. He has given us a fighting chance at victory in this war!"

The halls were deathly quiet one moment and then exploded into cheer the next. Many of the soldiers hugged and kissed each other as many had believed that that was their last day alive. Many of them went to the Pawn and thanked him profusely as well.

When everything settled down, Mikhail turned towards the Prince and began, "With this, consider my debt to you for keeping Louise safe repaid. As long as there is nothing else to be said, my Master and I will take our leave. We are still on a mission for the crown after all."

Louise decided to take that moment to try and plead her case one last time, "Are you sure you don't want to see Henrietta by coming with us Prince Wales?"

Wales smiled gently at Louise, "I cannot abandon my people now Louise. You know that."

"How about you come to Tristain to seek military aid? The crown of Albion and Tristian are family after all," Louise reasoned. Many of the Royalists were eavesdropping by then and the prospect of reinforcement made them all agree that Wales should go to Tristain to acquire help. Prince Wales refused again, saying that any soldier could be messenger for this. King Charles eventually had woken up due to all the cheering and had heard of the good news. He had also listened to what Louise and Wales were currently discussing. He made up his mind and then spoke.

"Prince Wales. I command you to travel to Tristain and seek aid for our cause. I'm sure that they'll be reluctant to refuse a direct request from the royalty of Albion. Take a few of the Royal Guard with you and leave with these two. I will take command here and hold out until you return with reinforcements."

Louise smiled. She knew that the Prince would never go against the King's direct orders. A frown flashed on the Prince's face briefly before he bowed to the King. "Per your command," Wales said. He then departed to prepare for the journey.

Louise watched Wales until he left and then turned to Mikhail. "What did you do exactly to stop the invasion? Was the quake earlier your doing?"

"I figured that the easiest way to stop the invasion was to erase the cause: the Reconquista army. And theat is what I did, destroy the army. The quake is most likely caused by my spell Grand Seism. Don't worry about it."

Louise looked at Mikhail blankly before walking away and muttering, "Don't worry about it he says. Shake the whole Founder-damn island and all he says is don't worry about it. Pah."

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The duo, the Prince, and Guiche, whom was almost forgotten, traveled back to Tristain by a cargo ship. The Prince soon got over his anger at being ordered away and created small talk with the passengers. The only one who did not really speak to him was Mikhail, but that was to be expected. Thanks to the ship, the group made it to Tristania within a day.

Tristania – Royal Palace

The group had reached Tristania about midday and were hoping to report to Henrietta immediately. Because of that simple wish, they decided to fly right into the Royal Palace's courtyard. Before the group could actually step foot onto the ground, however, they were held at wand point by several members of the Royal Guard.

"Who are you and what are you doing here!?" a guard demanded. The crew flying the ship raised a white flag and then had Prince Wales speak.

"My name is Prince Wales Tudor and I come to seek aid for my country of Albion against the Reconquista menace," he shouted. While he knew that everything would be alright, he was still uneasy having a dozen wands pointed at him.

The guards looked at their commanding officer looking for his response. Before he could say anything, Henrietta stepped onto the courtyard followed by a woman with short blonde hair in a blue surcoat and white cloak.

"Wales!" Henrietta exclaimed in joy. She ran up to the Prince and literally sent him to the ground with a hug. The blonde woman followed the Princess after ordering the guards to lower their weapons. She knew what the Prince looked like and could immediately tell that the man was not an imposter. She did not know who the others were, though, and looked at a certain white-haired man with suspicion. The man in question was easily identified as someone who had spent years in the military despite his relatively youthful appearance. Since she had never seen the person in the Tristanian military before, that meant the man was a foreigner and possible threat.

Henrietta finally regained her composure when the lady beside her purposely coughed loudly. With a slight blush on her face, she stood up and offered the downed Prince a hand.

"Ahem… it is great to see you in fine health Prince Wales. Ah, Louise. I see you have returned as well. Why don't you both come inside and we'll discuss things more in depth," the Princess said. With the Princess's indirect approval of the guests, the guards put away their wands and most began to disperse. Some remained to fulfill their obligation of welcoming a member Tristain's sister country's royalty and of course to protect the Princess.

Henrietta led Wales, Louise, Guiche, and Mikhail inside. They eventually ended up in a lavishly decorated room, one probably used to house meetings with guests. Guiche had disappeared as soon as he stepped into the palace, claiming that he needed to use the restroom even though it was abundantly clear that he went skirt-chasing. All along the way, the blonde woman kept an eye on Mikhail.

Mikhail remained silent as he diligently followed his Master. Several times he glanced over at the blonde knight, at least he thought she was a knight due to the woman carrying a rapier. The woman had constantly looked his way when she thought he wouldn't notice. He admired the knight's diligence in her role as bodyguard. If only more people took their job as seriously as she did, there would be less assassinated monarchs. Mikhail was reminded of a certain knight from long ago who was the epitome of a bodyguard. Frederick the Wary was his name. Although he was a bodyguard, he was also unofficially his charges' steward as well.

Mikhail's reminiscing was cut short when he heard a door click shut. He looked at his surroundings and saw that he was very close to walking into a door. On the other side of the door he could hear Princess Henrietta speaking to his Master. He then went to stand on the side of the door only to notice that someone else was standing there. Said person was the knight that accompanied the Princess. The knight as blatantly staring at Mikhail now and the Pawn felt obliged to do the same. He didn't do it though and went to stand on the other side of the door.

After several minutes of silence, the knight spoke, "Who are you?"

"I am the Pawn of Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere," the Pawn replied matter-of-factly.

"Name?"

"Who's asking?"

With a huff, the knight stated her name, "Agnes de Milan. Your name?"

"Mikhail Ecto Serolius."

"Loyalties?"

"Louise only."

With that, Agnes narrowed her eyes at the Pawn. That meant the man could potentially be a threat in the future. "I see."

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After what seemed to be an hour, it really was about twenty minutes, Louise came out of the room.

"Mikhail, where is the letter?"

Mikhail retrieved the letter from his Rift Treasury and handed it to Louise. He had made it so that onlookers would think that it was pulled from a pocket on the inside of his crimson robe. Louise took the letter and then went back inside the room; she looked disappointed as she closed the door.

A little while later, Louise and the two secret lovers emerged from the room. Mikhail noticed that Princess Henrietta looked like she had been crying while Prince Wales looked defeated. He glanced over at his Master and wasn't surprised to see her with an angry look. She was also holding a small book in her hands. Louise stomped past Mikhail and the Pawn bowed to the two lovers before hurrying after his Master. The ride back to the Academy had been silent. When they reached the school, the sun was just beginning to set. Louise quickly dismounted the carriage that Henrietta provided and dashed for her room.

Inside her room, Louise was screaming into her pillow as the Pawn simply stood by a wall.

"Founder dammit Henrietta! Why are you so stubborn? Tristain is not weak and we can defeat Reconquista without the help of Germania! Ugh! … Why are you so selfless? Why? Why don't you seek your own happily ever after?"

Louise was upset that even though Wales was right there during the meeting, Henrietta still insisted on abandoning their relationship in favor of the political marriage. The worst part was that Wales had actually supported that notion, claiming that it was for the best. With one final scream, Louise sat up and took several deep breaths before looking at the book that Henrietta had given her.

It was the actual Founder's Prayer Book. The Princess had wanted her to write a speech for her wedding as a bridesmaid. While she was honored that the Princess wanted her to be a bridesmaid, she was nervous about giving a speech about how wonderful the marriage was going to be and all other kinds of flowery words supporting it. It was hard to lie about something like this for Louise. Nonetheless, this was a request from the Princess herself so she couldn't exactly refuse. Deciding that she's had enough love drama for the night, Louise went to sleep.

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The next day Louise woke up bright and early to work on her required speech. She had skipped breakfast and just focused on writing a draft. The large amount of crumbled paper balls littered around the room was evidence that she was not successful. Mikhail had took it upon himself to clean up after his Master. However, he was fighting a losing battle; the white-haired man's Master was producing more trash than he could take out. Still, he was determined to serve faithfully.

'Oh man… is this what Eclair feels when she has to clean up after me? Eclair, I have a new found respect for you now,' Mikhail thought.

Louise gave a great sigh and then spoke, "Mikhail, I think I could use a break for now. I'm also feeling hungry. Let's go grab something to eat."

Mikhail followed his Master to Alviss Hall and then left his Master there to retrieve some food from the kitchen.

"Oh, hello Sir Serolius. How are you today?" Siesta said after spotting Mikhail in the kitchen.

"Good morning Siesta. I am doing well. Anything you need help with?" Mikhail responded.

"It's fine, you don't need to help me. Besides, this is my last week before I can take off."

"I see. Well, don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it." With that, Mikhail left with a plate of food.

When Mikhail returned to his Master, he noticed that she was talking to some friends, Tabitha and Kirche. Kirche was the first one to notice Mikhail's return.

"Oh there you are darling, I was wondering when I can see you again. How could you just leave me alone like that?… Are you into abandonment play? I am okay with that," the red-head spoke. The Seneschal stared blankly at the girl before resuming putting his Master's plate of food down.

"Morning," Tabitha said. Always the bookworm as ever, Tabitha was currently reading a new book. Mikhail nodded at the blue-haired woman and then greeted her as well.

"So, Louise where have you been this past couple of days? You suddenly disappearing right after the banquet with Princess Henrietta makes me think that you had quite the adventure," Kirche resumed her interrogation. Although Tabitha was reading her book, she was also slightly leaning towards the conversation as well. Mikhail watched the three girls discuss things for about half an hour before his Master finished her food. Mikhail took the plate back to the kitchen and then followed his Master on a stroll through the Academy. Along the way, he noticed that the school was relatively empty compared to how it usually was.

"Master, where has all the others gone?" Mikhail asked.

"The students are on vacation all this week and next week so most of them went home. I'm staying here to work on my speech for the wedding," Louise explained.

"What wedding?" Kirche asked. She and Tabitha had been following the duo ever since they left the hall.

"The one between Princess Henrietta your Emperor Albrecht III."

"Really? Oh yeah, my parents were making a fuss about it in the last letter they sent. Hey, aren't you a distant relative of the Royal Family here?"

"Yeah…," Louise wasn't sure what the Germanian was trying say put the smirk on her face gave Louise a bad feeling about it.

"Well my family is also related to the crown of Germania. You know what that means? We'll be family!"

Louise paled. Family? With the Zerbst? For a second, Louise fainted while still standing. Mikhail noticed it and quickly grabbed Louise so that she didn't hurt herself falling. Louise was jolted awake when she felt her familiar grab her.

"Thanks," she muttered. Then she turned to the smiling Germanian and returned a forced smile. "That… would be wonderful," she forced. Simply saying that was giving her a massive migraine.

Kirche dropped her smile and her face contorted in digust, "Relax. I also don't want that to happen. Just thinking about it send shivers up my spine."

Mikhail smiled at how Louise and Kirche had been getting along. He looked at Tabitha, who was still reading, and then sighed. He knew that the bespectacled girl could also be counted on to help Louise.

Unknown Location

A cloaked figure was walking the streets of a megalopolis and looking at all the sights. The person stopped to look into a bakery through its window. The person's visage was reflected by the window and showed a blonde woman with her hair braided into a bun. She had a youthful but stern face and her eyes were of the deepest blue.

After ogling at the baked goods for a few seconds, the woman wiped off the involuntary drool from her lips and kept walking. She was marveled by the giant skyscrapers that were reaching towards the heavens. Due to the distractions, she bumped into a little girl who was no more than ten years old. The little girl's ice cream was smeared all over the woman's cloak.

"Ah, no! My ice cream!" the girl complained. She grabbed the cloak and began tugging at it. The cloak shifted to reveal a pair of metal grieves and an elaborate metal cuirass and metal gauntlets. All of the armor were of gleaming metal and intricately designed. The woman also had a beautiful rapier on her left hip. The little girl saw this and was stunned. She then looked at the woman with an awestruck expression. "Are you a knight?" she said with escalating excitement.

"Indeed. Prithee keep it a secret tiny one. 'Twould be unfortunate to hast mine identity uncover'd," the woman replied. Her archaic language confused the little girl.

"What?"

"Doth thou not understand? Nay matter, hither's some chinks. Go get yourself some snacks," the woman handed the girl a pouch of coins. The girl took the pouch and opened it to see about twenty golden coins. She then looked back up at the woman to see her smiling down on her.

"Thanks Miss Knight!" the girl exclaimed.

The woman watched as the little girl ran away into a crowd of humans. The woman sighed and then continued to wonder the streets. She looked at a crowd of people not moving. As she walked past them, a hand suddenly reached out and pulled her back. Just as she fell backwards, a car sped past with a loud honk.

"Do you want to die!? What the hell were you thinking!? The light is clearly red. That means DON'T CROSS!" her savior yelled. The person who saved her was a man wearing a black business suit and red tie.

"Sorry. Thank thou f'r saving me. I'm afraid I doth not wot much of this place," the knight replied. The savior sighed deeply and rubbed her temples.

"It's fine. Just don't do that next time."

"Fair enough. Say, what art these metal carriages? How doth they move without horses?"

The woman gave the knight a blank look. "Seriously? You've never heard of a car? What backwater town were you from." The woman then looked down at her watch and then gave a shriek of surprise. "Ahh! I'm late!" She then ran off.

The knight watched the woman leave before looking back at the road. She then looked at the light that the woman had pointed at and waited until it turned into a man walking. She followed everyone else who started walking and crossed the road.

Eventually the knight made her way to a beach without any more near death experiences. Breathing in the salty air, the woman smiled contentedly.

"Time sure dost fly. I cannot believe that it hath already been ov'r a million years. Everything hath changed. This place is nay longer a bawbling fishing village. Cassardis, it hath been too long but I am finally home. …I wonder if that stone is still around."

The woman walked along the shore for a while until she reached an empty cove. At the very center of the cove stood a small boulder the size of barrel with glyphs carved onto one of its faces. As the woman approached, the glyphs flared to life and then glowed a majestic blue. The woman placed her hand on it and felt the calming presence that it bestowed to all of her kind.

The stone brought on a nostalgic wave of memories. Memories of great battles and mythical beasts. Giant fortresses and vast underground tunnels. Fires wreaking havoc across the land while brave men do battle with goblins. And the stone also brought memories of one man. Their days spent journeying together, their days spent living together, their nights full of passion. The day the man sacrificed his humanity for the world, the day the man was cursed with immortality, the day the man became the Seneschal.

At first, the man did like what his predecessors did, keep the world moving, beginning the Cycle of Destruction whenever his will faltered. The world was stuck in that same, never changing era for nigh-infinity. And then the man found someone. A new Arisen, one worthy of being the next keeper of the world. The Chosen Arisen, as he called it, was destined for greatness. The Arisen did not pick up the sword and shield, the staff, nor the bow and daggers. No, the Arisen picked up something else entirely. It picked up a quill and parchment. Through many trials and errors, the Arisen crafted an entirely new weapon: Science. Through science, the Arisen created other weapons: the gun. With the gun, the Arisen began their perilous journey with their own party of Pawns. The Arisen braved through untold horrors and deranged men. They slayed the World Dragon and explored the depths of the Everfall. They scoured the Bitterblack Isle that was ridden with death and triumphed over the demonic entity that could have destroyed the entire cycle. They searched through the Rift and battled the Everlasting Dragon, emerging victorious every time. They traveled the world until they made their way to the throne.

With the choice laid bare before them, the Arisen chose a different option: change the world with the people. And so, the Arisen descended back into the world and led a great revolution. The Seneschal watched on as the Arisen truly changed the world, and even after their inevitable death, the world kept changing. The Seneschal admired that one. Wishing to see just how far the humans could go, the Seneschal decided to postpone the Cycle of Destruction. After several centuries, the Seneschal enacted the Cycle of Destruction once more, longing to see how the humans progression could effect it. Surprisingly, the humans did not need the aid of the Arisen this time, only needing it to deal the final blow. That was how the 4598th cycle under his rule ended. The 4599th cycle began a few decades later. The World Dragon was vastly superior this time and yet it was once more struck down. Impressed by the humans' power, the Seneschal stopped the Cycles from then on. He did something else instead. He started to help the world instead of simply watching and willing its continued existence.

He and his ever-present companion spent millennia nurturing the people, helping them grow and expand. They experienced civilizations achieve new heights and then crumble to dust, whole pages of history lost to time. They saw how humanity many times took several steps back instead of forward. Nevertheless, the two stood by humanity no matter what. Until that one fateful day when the Seneschal decided that the people did not need somebody to watch over them anymore; that the people can keep the world moving without the help of a higher being. To prevent another person from taking the throne and possibly restarting the cycle, the man took his own life with the Godsbane blade.

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That day was still fresh in the woman's mind. The pain was still as real as ever. And then she heard something, a whisper so quiet that she could just barely pick it up. So faint that she thought it was just her imagination. But it wasn't. It repeated itself, this time louder. The voice that she never thought she would hear ever again called her. She looked down at where her hand was: the Rift Stone. The woman started to tear up, the voice calling her reverberating through her entire being. She covered her mouth with her other hand and sobbed. Finally calming down, she steeled herself once more to face her one and only Master.

"Mikhail, your Eclair is coming." The woman was then sucked into the dark Rift.